(FOX40.COM) — Nearly 90 vehicles were recently towed at a massive sideshow bust in Stockton, and one man said he was at the wrong place at the wrong time when he was held at gunpoint by law enforcement and his vehicle seized.
•Video Above: Sheriff who seized 88 vehicles at sideshow says he’s waiting for approval of search warrants
It was about 10 p.m. on Feb. 3 when 25-year-old Merced resident, Isaac Cervantes, who was only in town for a night, said he left his hotel to fill up his gas tank before work. He said he works as a mechanic for a non-profit organization that helps low-income families with SMOG repairs. Still in his work uniform, he said he headed to the gas station located seven minutes from his hotel.
“I had to be at work at 5 a.m. I was prioritizing everything, so I decided to get gas the night before to have more time in the morning,” Cervantes told FOX40.com.
After leaving the station Cervantes said he was stopped by the sight of smoke coming from the nearby intersection.
“I thought there was an accident and that something was on fire because of all the smoke. I thought maybe someone needed help,” Cervantes said. “As a mechanic, it’s in my nature to help people in need. If I see someone with a flat tire or a car overheating, I’m going to stop and see if I can help.”
Cervantes said his work-assigned trip to Stockton was his first visit to the city.
“I never really heard of sideshows. I saw some stuff online, but I didn’t know that people had them in the middle of streets and neighborhoods,” Cervantes said.
Cervantes said that as he got closer to the sideshow scene, he realized there was no fire and that something else was going on. It was the sideshow. He said he attempted to drive away from the area, but it was too late. Before he could leave, he said he was stopped in the middle of an intersection by flashing lights and the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Office deputies with their guns drawn and pointed at him.
“They ordered me to stop and get out of the vehicle. They had guns pointed at me with their dogs barking,” Cervantes said. “I remained calm and followed their instructions. I assured myself that I’d show them my work stuff, my hotel information, and my work email that showed I was only there on business and then everything would be okay.”
But Cervantes said that’s not what happened. They would not look at the information on his phone or direct him to the sheriff in charge of the operation.
“They wouldn’t hear me out. They put me in handcuffs for two hours and then took my work truck,” Cervantes said. “Everything was so unorganized and chaotic. Nothing was investigated properly.”
Cervantes said he was not aware that sideshows were an issue in that area since he isn’t a local resident. After learning about the problem, he said it’s good that law enforcement is trying to crack down on them, but there needs to be “due diligence.”
“My rights were violated. I was arrested for two hours and not even given a citation,” Cervantes said. “I feel robbed. I feel like I’m facing punishment for someone else’s actions.”
He added, “I would have been okay if I was cited so that I can show up to court and talk to a judge. But the sheriff’s office hasn’t given any information. I don’t know what I’m being charged with, who to talk to, or what the next steps are. My rights were taken from me. They should reconsider their approach.”
Cervantes said that besides being a mechanic, he’s also a college student. Since the incident, he’s had to find alternate transportation to work and school and has not been given access to his tools, books, and laptop that we were in his work vehicle at the time of the tow.
“They looked at me in my mechanic’s uniform and accused me of making repairs to the cars in the show,” Cervantes said. “They judged me because of how I look and took my livelihood. Would it have been different if I were in a suit and tie?”
Cervantes said that this was his first time in Stockton and hopefully the last. He said he told his boss, who picked him up from the scene, that he had no desire to accept future work in the city because of how he was treated by law enforcement.
He said he is currently working on securing legal representation.
“I really don’t want to go down this legal rabbit hole,” Cervantes said. “I want the sheriff’s office to apologize and give me my way of like back.”
Since the incident, San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said to “stop calling” because no one is getting their vehicles back anytime soon.
“Those vehicles will be held until their court cases have been settled with the district attorney’s office,” Withrow said. “They won’t be released anytime soon unless the DA (District Attorney) has settled your case. No need to keep calling. Your vehicles will stay with us. Therefore, they can’t be used in any more public nuisance or sideshows.”
As of Feb. 9, the sheriff said the vehicles are being “held as evidence” and that he’s waiting on a local judge to sign off on 88 search warrants in attempts to find illegal items inside the vehicles. Charges have yet to be filed.
FOX40 reached out to San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office for comment but has yet to receive a response.
Veronica Catlin
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